POLL FINDS AFFLUENT BUS RIDERS

Pat WingertCHICAGO TRIBUNE

Most Du Page County residents who take suburban buses use them to travel to destinations outside the county, a passenger survey released this week shows. Most of those who use buses as part of their commutation have annual household incomes of more than $35,000, the study shows.

The survey, conducted by the Du Page County Planning Department and PACE, the Regional Transportation Authority`s suburban bus department, indicates that only 19 percent of the trips on all suburban buses were taken by passengers bound for a destination within the county. Most of the riders, 79 percent, used buses to travel to Chicago.

And planners said they were surprised at the size of the disparity in the annual household incomes between riders using so-called feeder routes, bus lines that take passengers to and from commuter train and public transit stations during rush hours, and those using the regular all-day routes.

While 58 percent of those using feeder buses have household incomes of $35,000 and more, only 18 percent of the riders on all-day bus routes have comparable incomes, the survey indicated.

Du Page County planners said they hope the survey will help them determine if new transit lines are needed within the county and if so, where they should go, said Greg Dreyer, a department planner.

The survey forms were distributed by bus drivers on 50 feeder and 11 all- day bus routes. More than 2,620 riders filled them out. The results indicate that about 65 percent of the feeder riders and 20 percent of those using all- day buses responded.

Asked why they use the bus, the largest group of riders on feeder routes, 38 percent, said it is ''more convenient.'' Dreyer said this was especially true for Naperville riders, who have a tough time parking at their local train station.

Eighteen percent of the feeder bus riders said they use the bus because they don`t have a car available, 16 percent attributed it to the price, 11 percent said they don`t like to drive, 7 percent said the bus was faster and 4 percent said they don`t know how to drive.

However, the main reason given for riding an all-day bus was the lack of an extra car, an explanation cited by 23 percent of those surveyed. Also, 21 percent said they rode the bus because it`s cheaper, 20 percent noted the convenience, 19 percent said they didn`t have a driver`s license, 8 percent said they don`t like to drive and 4 percent said it was a faster way of getting to their destination.

The survey reveals that generally those with higher incomes use feeder routes while those who use all-day routes tend to have lower incomes.

Specifically, 38 percent of the feeder bus riders said they have annual household incomes of $45,000 and more, 20 percent said their income ranges between $35,000 and $45,000; 17 percent have incomes between $25,000 and $35,000; 12 percent have incomes between $15,000 and $25,000; 3 percent have incomes between $10,000 and $15,000; and 2 percent have incomes under $10,000. The survey indicated that only 9 percent of those using all-day bus routes have incomes $45,000 and higher, while another 9 percent have incomes between $35,000 and $45,000. Of the remainder, 13 percent have incomes between $25,000 and $35,000; 19 percent have incomes between $15,000 and $25,000; 14 percent have incomes between $10,000 and $15,000; and 19 percent have incomes under $10,000.

Dreyer said one of the reasons for the range in incomes between the two types of bus lines may be found in the purpose of the trips. While 95 percent of those using feeder buses are on their way to work, only 59 percent of those traveling on the all-day bus routes are workbound. The survey of riders on all-day bus routes indicates that 22 percent were on their way to school, 10 percent were going shopping, 6 percent were making personal trips, 2 percent were taking a medically related trip and 1 percent for traveling for recreational purposes.

Overall, Dreyer said, riders gave positive ratings to the service provided. The exception was ''rider comfort,'' which 55 percent of the feeder riders said was ''fair'' or ''poor.'' Only 34 percent of the riders of all-day routes rated bus comfort that way.

The report notes that ''this difference is due to the equipment used on the routes. Feeder routes generally use school-bus type equipment while most all-day routes have regular transit-type buses.

The other categories of service got higher ratings. Asked to rate bus cleanliness, 78 percent of the riders on feeder routes rated it ''very good'' or ''good,'' as did 55 percent of the riders on all-day routes.

The cost of a ride was not a big source of complaint, with 61 percent of the passengers on feeder routes and 65 percent of the riders on all-day routes rating it ''very good'' or ''good.''